Tea Distributor and Wholesaler Key Terms

Understanding commonly used wholesale tea terms

For smart business people, an understanding of tea distributors and wholesalers key terms is increasingly important. In 2008, the tea trade generated $7 billion, and it's expected to reach $10 billion by 2010. Tea is big business. As you explore the world of buying and selling tea, you'll find the business has its own special lingo. Some terms refer to where the tea is grown, others to the quality (or grade) of the tea and still others to the way the tea is processed. Here are a few of the most common terms you're likely to come across.

 

World Tea Expo

The World Tea Expo is a yearly trade event for the tea industry. The expo focuses on premium and specialty teas, which are at the heart of the growing tea trade. The expo also offers opportunities to examine products, learn about services and gain education.
Try: The website of the World Tea Expo offers complete information about the expo, including instruction on how to participate.

Pekoe

Pekoe refers to a high-grade black tea from a pekoe plant. The young leaves around the buds are used for pekoe tea.
Try: WiseGEEK offers an interesting article about the origin of the term pekoe, how pekoe is graded and the difference between pekoe and orange pekoe teas.

Fannings

Fannings (also called tea dust) refer to small, broken-down tea leaves. Fannings are the lowest grade of tea and are really suitable only for tea bags.
Try: Learn-About-Tea.com discusses the history of the tea bag, what fannings are and why they are most suitable for tea bags.

Orthodox

Orthodox tea refers to the method by which tea was processed up until recent times: by hand. Some exceptional orthodox teas can still be purchased.
Try: OrthodoxTea.info explains in detail how hand-processed tea differs from machine-processed tea. The site also offers a few links to articles about the superiority of orthodox tea.

Darjeeling

Darjeeling is a region of India, located in the Himalayan foothills. Darjeeling is world famous for its high-quality tea, which is often believed to be the most expensive in the world.
Try: Thunderbolt Tea provides many interesting articles about the history and modern use of Darjeeling tea; read its FAQ article as a primer.

Ceylon

Ceylon is better known as Sri Lanka, an island near India. Once famous for its coffee, Ceylon is now well-known for its tea.
Try: The Tea Man discusses the nature of Ceylon tea and its various grades.

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